The first week of May was Canadian Mental Health Awareness Week, and it was marked with a number of events here in Weyburn. With events ranging from the annual Mayor’s Luncheon to kick things off on the Monday, to the presentation of “The Locket” by the CMHA Weyburn youth theater group, it was considered an overwhelming success.

Tasha Collins is the program director of the Weyburn branch of the CMHA. She pointed out the community support for the initiatives has been overwhelming. More than 130 people turned out for the luncheon, where they heard from guest speaker Kyle Moffat. The semi-colon tattoo event at Under The Skin had 68 people turn out, raising $2,048 for CMHA Weyburn. Detente Spa held a Pamper Yourself event, which saw $160 donated to the organization.

The book sale, held in conjunction with Blue Earth, set a new high mark, raising $548. The youth theater had the largest attendance in history, with 55 coming out on the first night, and more than 100 on the second. There was also a donation made by Shanna Stadnyk.

“Outstanding community support, outstanding business support from our partnering businesses,” Collins exclaimed. “This was just a really great week to raise the profile of mental health in our community.”

While the week did raise the visibility of mental health in the community, Collins is reminding everyone that taking care of your mental health is something people should be keeping mind of throughout the year.

“It is something we all should be taking care of. It is something that everybody lives with. We all have mental health, just like we have physical health, so it is something we all really need to be aware of and take care of,” Collins explained.

The funds raised during Canadian Mental Health Awareness Week will remain here in Weyburn. They will be used to fund the various programs offered by the organization throughout the year.